Inflatable kayaks lack rigidity, carry little momentum, and tend to not
track well.

You might consider a folding kayak. I paddle a lot of open water off the
North Carolina coast and prefer folders since they flex and form
themselves to the water making for a very stable kayak, and perform
quite well. I rarly have to do any bracing. My Klepper and Feathercraft
each fit into the trunk of my 15 year old Honda Accord which is probibly
the size of your Civic. Sometimes I leave one of my boats in my trunk in
case I get an opportunity to paddle. A couple of years ago I brought my
Klepper double to French Polynesia. Checked it in as regular baggage.

Folders tend to be quite costly new, but they last for 25 years or more,
and are quite serviceable. You can usually find a Klepper on Ebay, many
times for less than 1K. I would recommend a used Feathercraft K Light,
or kahuna (you may not find a Kahuna on Ebay very often since they are
quite new). But they are very fine kayaks, and both assemble in about 20
minutes. The Klepper Aerius II is a legendary kayak that can be
configured for 1 or 2 people, has been made since the '50s, and is the
only off-the-rack kayak to cross the Atlantic ocean unassisted. A 55
sqft sail is made for this boat. Its also great for fishing since it has
a large open cockpit. Its not a real fast boat however. But my wife and
I can still keep up with group paddles.

Check out http://www.foldingkayaks.org for a real good site to introduce
you to folding kayaks.

Chris wrote:
Good afternoon:

I am in the market for a Kayak and this is proving to be a nearly impossible
decision.

I have a Honda Civic so I have been looking at inflatable kayaks because I dont
see how I could get a rigid one in/on my car.

I will be doing most of my kayaking on Long Island Sound which is a local
estuary off the Atlantic Ocean. Water conditions can range from nearly flat to
2-4ft waves.
I cannot spend more than $500 on a kayak and I want a single person boat.

If someone could steer me in the right direction I would really appreciate it!
I want to know what type of kayak I should consider and how inflatables compare
in these conditions to rigid ones. Also I'd like to know if shopping for a
used kayak could be a good option.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Chris